We've had this before to a certain extent, when people from the old BBC board came over here: myself, Alison2006, boromir and Dr Sincere. Scott handled it pretty well: boromir and Dr Sincere left (I assume banned?) and Alison and I have learnt to get along by going months without reginiting any of the old Federer-Sampras debates. Hopefully he'll manage the tennis.com posters with similar success.

ks: More twists and turns than a country lane.........and we made it through Happy days

We've had this before to a certain extent, when people from the old BBC board came over here: myself, Alison2006, boromir and Dr Sincere. Scott handled it pretty well: boromir and Dr Sincere left (I assume banned?) and Alison and I have learnt to get along by going months without reginiting any of the old Federer-Sampras debates. Hopefully he'll manage the tennis.com posters with similar success.

ks: More twists and turns than a country lane.........and we made it through Happy days

Some banned. I am more willing to do it now than I was in the past. I am a firm believer that this forum needs kept clean. I use to see new users posting but in the end that almost cost me great posters like Dmast. I have learned my lesson. I think we all do a great job in making everything reasonable here. Bottom line, I will make sure this place is kept tidy. I like it that way and we certainly are not hurting for great posters here. I see no reason to change our ways. If you plan on trolling here, beware.

We've had this before to a certain extent, when people from the old BBC board came over here: myself, Alison2006, boromir and Dr Sincere. Scott handled it pretty well: boromir and Dr Sincere left (I assume banned?) and Alison and I have learnt to get along by going months without reginiting any of the old Federer-Sampras debates. Hopefully he'll manage the tennis.com posters with similar success.

ks: More twists and turns than a country lane.........and we made it through Happy days

Some banned. I am more willing to do it now than I was in the past. I am a firm believer that this forum needs kept clean. I use to see new users posting but in the end that almost cost me great posters like Dmast. I have learned my lesson. I think we all do a great job in making everything reasonable here. Bottom line, I will make sure this place is kept tidy. I like it that way and we certainly are not hurting for great posters here. I see no reason to change our ways. If you plan on trolling here, beware.

I aint trolling, just read ks post and saying we made it through ie: all the bad times.........

We've had this before to a certain extent, when people from the old BBC board came over here: myself, Alison2006, boromir and Dr Sincere. Scott handled it pretty well: boromir and Dr Sincere left (I assume banned?) and Alison and I have learnt to get along by going months without reginiting any of the old Federer-Sampras debates. Hopefully he'll manage the tennis.com posters with similar success.

ks: More twists and turns than a country lane.........and we made it through Happy days

Some banned. I am more willing to do it now than I was in the past. I am a firm believer that this forum needs kept clean. I use to see new users posting but in the end that almost cost me great posters like Dmast. I have learned my lesson. I think we all do a great job in making everything reasonable here. Bottom line, I will make sure this place is kept tidy. I like it that way and we certainly are not hurting for great posters here. I see no reason to change our ways. If you plan on trolling here, beware.

I aint trolling, just read ks post and saying we made it through ie: all the bad times.........

this is the best run board i have seen. credit to those who manage it.

1. serve2. return of serve3. slice--it is useless4. volley/net game--he needs to be more confident at being at the net to close/end points.

of these limitations listed, he can probably do wothout 2 and still dominate. first, he doesnt really need a big serve. if he could return with consistency and be somewhat aggressive with his return game, it will take a lot of pressure off that weak serve of his.

secondly, if you get to go in on your own terms, you dont have to be able to volley like roger or edberg.

he absolutely must develop a more effective slice and he has to find a way to return better. practice makes perfect.

Perhaps you should call him Clay/Grass Monster........I dread to think what you call the other ATP Players

Anyway :

1) Serve.......I have been saying he needs to improve this for a while ( his 2nd serve needs improving Flipping fast)

4) I didn't see the match tonite...but he should come to the net more (at Wimbledon his volleys where quite good (but need improving...as does every other on the ATP tour..IMHO) I think he is Confident at the net, but he needs to do more often to shorten the points)

Just my thoughts

Welcome BTW to the Forum

Alison HIIIII Lio Messi is my fave for soccer right now and some others, but Lio is on top

Rafa certainly did not serve well tonight. He may be somewhere as we speak working on that serve... out in the street under lights or something. But, everything can change in just one day, tomorrow is a whole new match. Rafa got his feet wet tonight and I think he'll show up with a better game tomorrow.

He fell back to defensive play some, but he also tried on his serve (when he got it in!) to shorten the point a bit. He's got lots of things rolling around in his head to try because I feel sure he doesn't want to spend a lot of time learning the hard court game. He appeared to be moving very well, no knee problems.

Nicknames... as far as I'm concerned he'll always be the raging bull (Spain's name for him), which is on his shoes. I think that was his first nickname, it works for me. Clay Monster is good and there are couple of people that use that name that I really like a lot, but I want him to be more than Clay Monster... he is a raging bull.

lol raging bull ( is toro salvaje?)...I never heard of that , but cool.. and yeah goes with him since he comes from Spain I like to call him Rafa...but clay monster and King of Clay are cool too...and I agree with you yellowball, I'd like him to further than clay...

I see Nadal having a nice career. His game is certainly taxing, but the guy has a great physicial frame to sustain all the abuse. Even with the so-called bad knee, he chases down balls that would ordinarily be winners.

Nadal is very good for tennis. Kids, especially, seem to like him alot. I guess it's just the energy he brings. Plus, his game is based on good point construction and rallying, which is missing from alot of today's players.

I read in an article that his fitness can be the new prototype for tennis ...

I agree! It's great to have fantastic new posters who seem to have great knowledge of tennis! This is fantastic! We are continuing to grow.

Question, especially for the Nadal fans.

Last night we saw him running from side to side, getting to every ball, making Safin hit just that one more ball. I don't care how "in shape" you are - as Nadal seem to be - but by running that much in matches over and over... don't you think that will hurt him later in his career? I mean, if you watched the match last night - just look at the amount of force and wear and tear he had on his body by going full force every point. That is great right now and his fans love it but he's young and he has the energy and the stimina. Do you think Nadal can keep up this kind of effort in - say - 5 years? Or when he's 30?

Just a question for discussion.

I think his fitness is good thing. I think tennis is becoming even more demanding physically. Like in soccer players are demanded to have a great level of fitness and it's a more agressive game than tennis ( where they are more likely to get injured). Those players still play until their mid-30s so. I know, Tennis and soccer are different games, but I think at least the physical level can be compared. Time will tell

I see Nadal having a nice career. His game is certainly taxing, but the guy has a great physicial frame to sustain all the abuse. Even with the so-called bad knee, he chases down balls that would ordinarily be winners.

Nadal is very good for tennis. Kids, especially, seem to like him alot. I guess it's just the energy he brings. Plus, his game is based on good point construction and rallying, which is missing from alot of today's players.

I read in an article that his fitness can be the new prototype for tennis ...

This is news? Lendl changed the game about 25 years ago. There were fit players before him, but they were fit because they wanted to be fit. Lendl made himself fit because he wanted to play better and everyone else who was payed to play followed suit. Navritalova did the same thing for the women's side a few years later. Now if you aren't fit, you aren't playing on the tour.Everytime I go see a pro tournament, I am astounded at how incredibly fit the players are. They are all lean mean tennis playing machines. The only one who shows any kind of a gut is Nalbandian and his recent results are showing that this isn't acceptable.

Logged

Is a tree as a rocking horseAn ambition fulfilledAnd is the sawdust jealous?I worry about these things .Kevin Godley & Lol Crème (I Pity Inanimate Objects)

We've had this before to a certain extent, when people from the old BBC board came over here: myself, Alison2006, boromir and Dr Sincere. Scott handled it pretty well: boromir and Dr Sincere left (I assume banned?) and Alison and I have learnt to get along by going months without reginiting any of the old Federer-Sampras debates. Hopefully he'll manage the tennis.com posters with similar success.

ks: More twists and turns than a country lane.........and we made it through Happy days

Some banned. I am more willing to do it now than I was in the past. I am a firm believer that this forum needs kept clean. I use to see new users posting but in the end that almost cost me great posters like Dmast. I have learned my lesson. I think we all do a great job in making everything reasonable here. Bottom line, I will make sure this place is kept tidy. I like it that way and we certainly are not hurting for great posters here. I see no reason to change our ways. If you plan on trolling here, beware.

[/b][/size]

I think we need to emphasize this statement. Scott does an excellent job here and it's a fantastic place to post.

I agree! It's great to have fantastic new posters who seem to have great knowledge of tennis! This is fantastic! We are continuing to grow.

Question, especially for the Nadal fans.

Last night we saw him running from side to side, getting to every ball, making Safin hit just that one more ball. I don't care how "in shape" you are - as Nadal seem to be - but by running that much in matches over and over... don't you think that will hurt him later in his career? I mean, if you watched the match last night - just look at the amount of force and wear and tear he had on his body by going full force every point. That is great right now and his fans love it but he's young and he has the energy and the stimina. Do you think Nadal can keep up this kind of effort in - say - 5 years? Or when he's 30?

Just a question for discussion.

I think his fitness is good thing. I think tennis is becoming even more demanding physically. Like in soccer players are demanded to have a great level of fitness and it's a more agressive game than tennis ( where they are more likely to get injured). Those players still play until their mid-30s so. I know, Tennis and soccer are different games, but I think at least the physical level can be compared. Time will tell

as fit as clay monster is or seems to be, i dont think he is fit enough for his style of play. and he also could be about 8-10 pounds lighter if he is going to have to run all day. he is barely 6 foot 1 and is playing at 190 pounds. that is just too much bulk to be hauling around. he needs to be more efficient and fleet footed.

I agree! It's great to have fantastic new posters who seem to have great knowledge of tennis! This is fantastic! We are continuing to grow.

Question, especially for the Nadal fans.

Last night we saw him running from side to side, getting to every ball, making Safin hit just that one more ball. I don't care how "in shape" you are - as Nadal seem to be - but by running that much in matches over and over... don't you think that will hurt him later in his career? I mean, if you watched the match last night - just look at the amount of force and wear and tear he had on his body by going full force every point. That is great right now and his fans love it but he's young and he has the energy and the stimina. Do you think Nadal can keep up this kind of effort in - say - 5 years? Or when he's 30?

Just a question for discussion.

I think his fitness is good thing. I think tennis is becoming even more demanding physically. Like in soccer players are demanded to have a great level of fitness and it's a more agressive game than tennis ( where they are more likely to get injured). Those players still play until their mid-30s so. I know, Tennis and soccer are different games, but I think at least the physical level can be compared. Time will tell

as fit as clay monster is or seems to be, i dont think he is fit enough for his style of play. and he also could be about 8-10 pounds lighter if he is going to have to run all day. he is barely 6 foot 1 and is playing at 190 pounds. that is just too much bulk to be hauling around. he needs to be more efficient and fleet footed.

Probably gets tiresome, me saying the same things over and over, but I think he has too many muscles. I think a tennis player has to be strong, but wirey strong, not cut like Nadal and Monfils. To me having heavy muscles is counterproductive. It's also bad for the tendons and ligaments.

Logged

Is a tree as a rocking horseAn ambition fulfilledAnd is the sawdust jealous?I worry about these things .Kevin Godley & Lol Crème (I Pity Inanimate Objects)

I agree! It's great to have fantastic new posters who seem to have great knowledge of tennis! This is fantastic! We are continuing to grow.

Question, especially for the Nadal fans.

Last night we saw him running from side to side, getting to every ball, making Safin hit just that one more ball. I don't care how "in shape" you are - as Nadal seem to be - but by running that much in matches over and over... don't you think that will hurt him later in his career? I mean, if you watched the match last night - just look at the amount of force and wear and tear he had on his body by going full force every point. That is great right now and his fans love it but he's young and he has the energy and the stimina. Do you think Nadal can keep up this kind of effort in - say - 5 years? Or when he's 30?

Just a question for discussion.

I think his fitness is good thing. I think tennis is becoming even more demanding physically. Like in soccer players are demanded to have a great level of fitness and it's a more agressive game than tennis ( where they are more likely to get injured). Those players still play until their mid-30s so. I know, Tennis and soccer are different games, but I think at least the physical level can be compared. Time will tell

as fit as clay monster is or seems to be, i dont think he is fit enough for his style of play. and he also could be about 8-10 pounds lighter if he is going to have to run all day. he is barely 6 foot 1 and is playing at 190 pounds. that is just too much bulk to be hauling around. he needs to be more efficient and fleet footed.

Probably gets tiresome, me saying the same things over and over, but I think he has too many muscles. I think a tennis player has to be strong, but wirey strong, not cut like Nadal and Monfils. To me having heavy muscles is counterproductive. It's also bad for the tendons and ligaments.

well he does not lift weights. now the deal with losing a little weight is that he will lose no power at all. in fact, probably have more power by being in position for more of his shots and by being in even better position to execute those shots. justine hits the hell out of the ball and she is 5 foot 6 and 120 pounds. davydenko does ok also at 150 pounds or less. his game is such that he has to be out there for a long time and its his movement that is his biggest shot. why not get more efficient on that movement.

Honestly, how would one know if Nadal lifts weights or not? Are you his coach or trainer? Because most people with ripped and muscled over upper bodies lift weights. In soccer, one guy has the ball and one guy pursues that guy, and everybody else is just jogging around, ON GRASS. Do soccer players have to stop on a dime and change directions all the time...on concrete?? Please. This Nadal talk is nonsense. If you sit behind your computer and try hard enough you can come up with any ridiculous comparison to prop up the case for your idol, like some. Soccer is like tennis now? Sheer nonsense. Federer is in decline b/c he is going to be 27, though he's virtually never hurt, and Nadal, who is regularly hurt, in the legs, is going to play forever, when he can't play 4-5 flippin' matches on hards w/o throwing in the towel, quitting in doubles, skipping Davis Cup...Right.

Logged

One day read the Cellestine Phrophecies-priests in black gowns were making their rounds and binding with briars my joys and desires-Don't you wish your girlfriend was hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot-saw satan dancing with delight the day the music died-Gotta keep on dancin

I see Nadal having a nice career. His game is certainly taxing, but the guy has a great physicial frame to sustain all the abuse. Even with the so-called bad knee, he chases down balls that would ordinarily be winners.

Nadal is very good for tennis. Kids, especially, seem to like him alot. I guess it's just the energy he brings. Plus, his game is based on good point construction and rallying, which is missing from alot of today's players.

I read in an article that his fitness can be the new prototype for tennis ...

This is news? Lendl changed the game about 25 years ago. There were fit players before him, but they were fit because they wanted to be fit. Lendl made himself fit because he wanted to play better and everyone else who was payed to play followed suit. Navritalova did the same thing for the women's side a few years later. Now if you aren't fit, you aren't playing on the tour.Everytime I go see a pro tournament, I am astounded at how incredibly fit the players are. They are all lean mean tennis playing machines. The only one who shows any kind of a gut is Nalbandian and his recent results are showing that this isn't acceptable.

I see Nadal having a nice career. His game is certainly taxing, but the guy has a great physicial frame to sustain all the abuse. Even with the so-called bad knee, he chases down balls that would ordinarily be winners.

Nadal is very good for tennis. Kids, especially, seem to like him alot. I guess it's just the energy he brings. Plus, his game is based on good point construction and rallying, which is missing from alot of today's players.

I read in an article that his fitness can be the new prototype for tennis ...

This is news? Lendl changed the game about 25 years ago. There were fit players before him, but they were fit because they wanted to be fit. Lendl made himself fit because he wanted to play better and everyone else who was payed to play followed suit. Navritalova did the same thing for the women's side a few years later. Now if you aren't fit, you aren't playing on the tour.Everytime I go see a pro tournament, I am astounded at how incredibly fit the players are. They are all lean mean tennis playing machines. The only one who shows any kind of a gut is Nalbandian and his recent results are showing that this isn't acceptable.